<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Shifter Stark by Blue_Hood</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423750">Shifter Stark</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Hood/pseuds/Blue_Hood'>Blue_Hood</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Post - X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Post-X2, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Team as Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:46:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Hood/pseuds/Blue_Hood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After facing the ugly truth of the world mutants live in, Tony Stark meets his soulmate.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bobby Drake/Rogue, Bruce Banner &amp; Tony Stark, Bruce Banner/Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan &amp; Pepper Potts &amp; James "Rhodey" Rhodes &amp; Tony Stark, Jane Foster &amp; Darcy Lewis &amp; Thor, Jane Foster/Thor, Raven | Mystique/Tony Stark, Victor Creed/Darcy Lewis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shifter Stark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mutant Town, Manhattan was like a war zone. The Avengers had joined the fight against military forces, tipping the odds in the people’s favor. A pair of brunette teens came over, a girl and a boy, each armed with a camera. They asked for interviews from the icons. “Of course I’m always happy to help out a fan.”</p><p>“We actually meant the Captain and Colonel Rhodes,” the boy said, “Given the military’s role,” he trailed off and they led their chosen interviewees away.</p><p>A feminine voice said “You have to admit that was funny.” He turned to see a raven haired woman in a leather jacket, smiling. He always figured he’d be the punchline of a joke with words like that.</p><p>“And you are?” She thought the words would be a brush off, took steps to ensure something else was always said first when she was on a mission.</p><p>“You don’t mind mutants, do you?”</p><p>“I wouldn’t be here if I did.”</p><p>A blond teen came over “We’re even now, right?”</p><p>“Right, John.”</p><p>He looked between them, “I’ll tell M and send Kurt over. You realize there’s a jet behind you that the kids can’t see into from a distance, right?” He ran off.</p><p>“Is John yours?”</p><p>“No, I mentored him and helped steal Weapon X files for Wolverine.” She subtly led him into the jet by wandering up the ramp. “Kurt is my son, I haven’t had a lot of time with him.” She shed her disguise “M is Magneto.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Okay?”</p><p>“As I said, I wouldn’t be here if I had an issue with mutants.”</p><p>“Great.” She resumed her disguise, explaining “I just got my powers back.”</p><p>“Worthington,” guessed Stark. “I’d like to take over mutant power suppression, find a humane way to do it temporarily. The politics involved are the biggest hurdle, nobody wants temporary so it’s difficult to find a way to bring such a device to market.”</p><p>“Why do you care?”</p><p>Tony pulled up a document on the central console, “Read the highlighted portion.”</p><p>“I thought you said-“</p><p>“My father wrote that. By the time I managed to change it, the damage was done. It’s almost worse than Worthington.”</p><p>“No, Worthington didn’t care to change until it nearly killed him.”</p><p>“Whatever you say.” Tony switched gears, focusing on deploying the Iron Legion to stabilize the buildings yet to be evacuated.</p><p>John ran back “Kurt’s working on evac.” He turned to Tony “Thanks for your help, in case no one remembers to say that.” A loud roar sounded, “I guess Sabretooth’s awake.”</p><p>Mystique said “I’ll go help deal with that.” She told Tony “Don’t take off without me.”</p><p>“You got it.”</p><p>She followed John to where the feral mutant was mostly encased in ice. His brainwashed involvement on behalf of the military proved foul play beyond the obvious but they kept him off camera to minimize the damage that could do. The people watching him were impressed with how Mystique expertly soothed the animal. “Pyro, let him out.”</p><p>Flicking his lighter on, he moved the flame over to Creed and melted the ice. “Everyone clear out, we got this.” The crowd dispersed and John joined them once his task was done.</p><p>The clean up was performed efficiently, even small children did their part, which broke the human heroes’ hearts and sparked pride in their fellow mutants. Once the street was as clean as they could get it, all the sharp and dangerous things thrown in dumpsters, they went underground. Tony asked “What-”</p><p>John answered “There's a system of tunnels that mutant outcasts call them home. No Humans Allowed.”</p><p>“Oh, what about you?”</p><p>“I’m an X-Man, I don’t live here. I’m going to head home, just-” He called out “Kurt!” both aloud and mentally.</p><p>A moment later a blue demon appeared in front of him, just as Mystique joined the Avengers. She introduced “Tony Stark, Kurt Wagner. Kurt, Tony’s my soulmate.”</p><p>With a put upon sigh, John asked Tony “Can Kurt come to the Tower with you guys?”</p><p>“Of course,” answered the inventor.</p><p>John told Kurt “Your mom’s inviting you to spend the night, mein freund.”</p><p>The blue guy looked between his mom and Tony then smiled, speaking in rapid German. Mystique translated “He said yes.”</p><p>Tony said “I know. I’m fluent in several languages, German is among them.”</p><p>John said, “See you on Monday,” then left to board the Blackbird.</p><p>Tony asked “Is it just me or was he dressed kinda casual for an X-Men mission?”</p><p>Kurt said “Is not you, we were volunteering when the attack began.”</p><p>Clint said “Everyone strap in.” Playing a hunch, Mystique had told Sabretooth to keep an eye on the Tower. She’d seen his mark and had some ideas about his possible soulmate.</p><p>After touring the Tower living space, she asked Tony “Has anyone ever tased Thor?”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“That’s for me to know and you to find out, soon, hopefully.”</p><p>“Soulmark then.”</p><p>“Yes, but I can’t say who, I don’t want to affect the words.”</p><p>“Of course, and yes, Darcy Lewis. She’s Jane Foster’s lab assistant. Is one of your mutant friends going to be stalking the Tower?”</p><p>“If someone was gonna stalk this place looking for their soulmate, they’d do it regardless of what anyone else tells them.”</p><p>“True. Who’s Kurt’s father?”</p><p>“Are you jealous?”</p><p>“Call it cautious.”</p><p>“Don’t be, his father is dead. His name was Azazel. There’s not much I can tell you, Kurt deserves to know first and I’m waiting for him to ask. I’m not sure he’s aware that he’s adopted. You’d think finding out I’m his mother would raise questions but so far, nothing.”</p><p>“Of course. Any other kids I should know about?”</p><p>“Not by blood. I’m also Graydon Creed’s mother but he died in the 90s.”</p><p>“Graydon Creed?” echoed Tony with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“Yes, Victor Creed is his father. Graydon was human, we didn’t take it well. In fact, by the time he was born, we couldn’t stand each other very well. Kurt lives at a school my foster brother runs, that’s what John meant by see you Monday.”</p><p>“So you have a son, a feral ex, a foster brother, any other family?”</p><p>“My foster brother is Charles Xavier, one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet but I wouldn’t worry about that, he’s a pacifist which is our biggest problem.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“If Charles is MLK, Magneto is Martin X. Do the math.”</p><p>“Oh. Any other family?”</p><p>“No. I stopped recognizing my birth family when they cast me out, I don’t even know if the Darkholmes exist anymore.”</p><p>“Alright. I don’t have blood family, as the world knows but I consider Rhodey, Pepper, Happy and Bruce family.”</p><p>“Bruce Banner?”</p><p>“Yeah. James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan and Bruce Banner. I also consider Rhodey’s family my family, I’ve spent enough holidays with them for the feeling to be mutual.”</p><p>“And Pepper?”</p><p>“Don’t worry, we’re cool. Bruce is her soulmate.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>They both cracked up almost in sync, Steve entered the lab and immediately turned around. “Sir, I fail to see the humor in the situation.”</p><p>Mystique explained “We’re laughing at the perfect symmetry, we’re so evenly matched that it’s funny.”</p><p>“I see, Miss Mystique.”</p><p>“Just Mystique.” To Tony, she said “It’s the name I chose for myself, one of the original mutant names.”</p><p>He grinned “Mutant names? Is that what you call your codenames?”</p><p>“Rogue and I both abandoned our original names in favor of them.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>“But yeah, it’s also what other mutants call their codenames.”</p><p>“So, I was thinking, since I don’t have an heir, maybe we could name Kurt.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“Kurt wants to be a priest and I don’t think he’d handle the pressure well. Maybe we could talk to him about his friends, see who he thinks is smart enough to work with you. If you like them then you could consider naming them heir but do not test them on the first meeting. How about that?”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s probably best. Kurt will still have to be introduced to the public, because of us, but if he’s not the heir then the press will lose interest.”</p><p>“It might do some good, having a few very public mutants, even temporarily.”</p><p>“Yeah. About that, does this mean you’ll stop hiding for events?”</p><p>“Not until my legal status is cleared up.”</p><p>“Okay. We’ll work on that tomorrow when you meet Pepper, she’s better about things like that. Plus, she’s family.”</p><p>“Good.” Mystique sized him then stood “I’m gonna head to a guest room.”</p><p>“There’s one on my floor, since Pep moved in with Bruce.”</p><p>“What about Kurt? I was thinking he could stay on your floor, it might help him adjust.”</p><p>“Talk to him about it.”</p><p>“You’re already catching on. I always do, I don’t claim mother-knows-best rights.”</p><p>“Alright, I’ll be up in a bit. Just one question,” Tony asked “Do you think he’d mind if I made him something to help blend in? I was already working on some tech for Romanoff and Barton but maybe Kurt would benefit more, being able to walk down the street is a privilege people take for granted.”</p><p>“Talk to him, you’re gonna have to start somewhere.”</p><p>“Right. JARVIS will let me know what you and Kurt decide.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“If you want me to buffer between you and Kurt, you’ll join the team for dinner.”</p><p>“Alright.”</p><p>“Which means heading up now.”</p><p>“Oh, right.”</p><p>Mystique brought Kurt to the dining room, introducing him to the team, “This is my son, Kurt Wagner.”</p><p>“Hello,” they all heard his accent and for some reason, turned to Steve.</p><p>“You all realize Erskine was German, right?”</p><p>Apparently they did not, if Steve’s laugh and their embarrassment were anything to go by. That served to break the ice. Sitting beside Bruce, Pepper took the opportunity to welcome them both to the family. Mystique sat herself down two seats down, leaving a spot for Kurt by the person he seemed most comfortable around. They all pretty easily accepted the two mutants, even if Pepper had to be pulled out of her thoughts on the logistical nightmare. Tony used the opportunity to poach the subject of his invention, “I have some experience in cloaking tech, shouldn’t be too hard to whip up a wearable hologram projector. I’ll need you to come down to the lab so I can get some measurements, Kurt, if you want.”</p><p>“Yes,” he tried not to sound too hopeful and Tony couldn’t help wondering what the kid had been through. He understood that mutants rarely lived nice lives, add in Kurt’s clearly physical mutation and he was reminded of the children in Mutant Town.</p><p>“Alright, just come down to my workshop either tonight or tomorrow and I’ll get some scans for measurements. We can even do a mock up of what the projector will show, I’m planning on setting it to mimic your clothes so that we don’t have to reprogram it to fit different environments.”</p><p>“That sounds great,” Natasha said “When were you thinking of unveiling this?”</p><p>“I didn’t have a timeline figured out but I’m not going public with the tech, that’d be like going public with your Widow Bites. I think I’ll give the school a set to distribute once I’ve mastered the tech, so your classmates or future students can take advantage.”</p><p>“What are you calling it?” asked Bruce.</p><p>“Image Inducers.” Tony said “I know what you were trying to do but it’s not SI tech.”</p><p>Pepper agreed “The potential applications are a little too close to what we’re trying to avoid by distancing SI from the military.”</p><p>“Right!”</p><p>Clint suggested to Mystique, “Maybe we could spar tomorrow.”</p><p>“Maybe.” She told Kurt “Maybe you could invite John to continue his lessons here at the Tower.”</p><p>“Okay,” Tony asked “What’s John’s mutant name?”</p><p>“Pyro,” answered Mystique and Kurt at the same time, causing a few eyes to widen as they replayed the fight and found him. Dressed in civvies, he pulled flames from wreckage and melted guns, blowing up a few vehicles. One particularly memorable moment saw him jump on top of a Humvee with wild eyes as he made a ring of fire protect him while burning threats away. At the same time, he always burned things, never people, but it was unnerving to think what a guy like that could do with Mystique’s skill in hand-to-hand. To add to the shock, and maybe clue the rest of the table in, she said “He’s the leader of Kurt’s team. There are two X-Men team. There’s the one I used to fight. Then there’s the junior team, which is actually better trained than their older counterparts. Pyro, Iceman, Colossus, Shadow, and Rogue make up the core team. Kurt and Angel are also technically a part of the team but to my knowledge, the X-Men is not where they plan to be five or ten years from now.”</p><p>Pepper asked Kurt “Where do you plan to be years from now?”</p><p>Mystique sat back as her son explained his plans to become a priest, only interjecting “He runs a makeshift Sunday school program for mutants already but he’s not ordained so it’s not quite legit.” Steve stole him away from Pepper, being the only Avenger who could be considered religious.</p><p>Tony said “Now I get why you said no to Kurt being heir, he really wouldn’t do well if he’s already so dedicated to his dream.”</p><p>Pepper said “I agree but we need to come up with an heir before the Board does.”</p><p>Mystique said “You can ask Kurt tomorrow, I’m sure he’s got someone he can recommend. His team is the best for a reason.”</p><p>“That’s high praise,” Nat said “Especially coming from you.”</p><p>“Pyro is the only X-Man near my level and he pushes his team to be nearly as good. Can you imagine an X-Man seeking my help with training? Can you imagine a guy confronting me about messing with his friend then getting me to steal classified files for him?”</p><p>“He did what?” asked Tony.</p><p>“Long story. We were traveling to a Weapon X base to stop a scheme to wipe out mutants, Magneto and I made Rogue think we were talking about her. While Iceman kept her from using her gifts on us, Pyro calmly approached and said ‘you shouldn’t do that.’ He pointed out we were on a bench while the X-Men all had proper seats, implied it wouldn’t be hard to knock Erik out while his helmet was off and hit the door, let us fall to our deaths. He was calm, even after Erik stole his lighter trying to recruit him, he just snatched it back and led his friends to their seats, strapping in and turning our joke on us.”</p><p>“Wow.”</p><p>“He has everyone’s respect, everyone who matters anyway. He’s the only X-Man who can talk to Magneto as an equal not an enemy. Alcatraz could’ve been much worse.”</p><p>“I see that.”</p><p>Once Kurt settled back down, Tony rather tactlessly said, “So each of the Avengers’ levels has two bedrooms and since you’re gonna be spending time here, I figured the second one on my floor could be your room.” Kurt nodded, still adjusting to the idea of his mom being Mystique and not the enemy, maybe she should’ve explained that to Tony better.</p><p>“Upside,” said Darcy sitting by Thor and Jane, “You realize you have a billionaire inventor for a stepdad now, right?” Clearly he had not realized that, it was almost funny.</p><p>“We’ll work on the Image Inducer tomorrow and push the logistics to next weekend, how about that?” Kurt nodded, daring to smile for the first time outside his very interesting conversation with Steve about faith.</p><p>Figuring Jane was the other woman by Thor, Mystique asked “Is it true you tased Thor?”</p><p>“Yup. Why? How did you hear about that?”</p><p>“Just doing a headcount.” She looked at Kurt and miraculously managed a silent conversation, “That would never work on Storm so I’m surprised it worked on Thor.” Waving to her son, she told the group “Kurt’s a teleporter, like his father.”</p><p>“Vhat?”</p><p>His mother said “We’ll get into the details later, without an audience. But your father was a teleporter named Azazel. You get your slim build and blue skin from me, otherwise you look just like him and your powers match down to the sulfur smell, which has an explanation.”</p><p>“Really?” asked Tony. “Sulfur smell?” Smirking, Kurt teleported across the room, just so Tony could see what his mother was talking about. “Oh, I get it.” He walked back and sat down.</p><p>Jane’s eyes glazed with the possibilities and Darcy batted at her “You are not testing the boy’s powers for your machine, Jane!”</p><p>“What? No, but the implications-” Darcy smacked her arm.</p><p>“No, Jane, no. You wouldn’t test a lightning rod on Thor’s hammer, mostly because you’d break it, so why do you think testing a teleporter on a teleporter is a good idea?” She grudgingly accepted the logic.</p><p>After dinner, Tony showed Kurt his room. Once they were alone, he asked Raven to stay with him. “I get you want to take things slow but we’ve both been waiting so long.”</p><p>“I’ll stay.”</p><p>“You will.”</p><p>“Yeah, it makes sense.”</p><p>“Great.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>